Asia
Heading that list was the 1-1 draw between Gold Coast United and Wellington Phoenix where no fewer than six All Whites took the field.
Glen Moss put in a strong performance for the home side but was shaded by his opposite Mark Paston who kept the Phoenix in the match with some fine saves, before eventually being beaten late in the game as Gold Coast grabbed a stunning 88th-minute equaliser.
Tim Brown, Tony Lochhead, Leo Bertos and Ben Sigmund also started for the Phoenix – which was good news for coach Ricki Herbert on the international front as well. It’s the first time since September 4, 2010 that all five have been injury free and taken the field together.
Former Phoenix prodigy Marco Rojas played all 90 minutes for his new club Melbourne Victory and although the game against Sydney FC finished scoreless, Rojas supplied high-profile recruit Harry Kewell with the game’s best chance.
Shane Smeltz shrugged off illness during the week but was impressive in patches during Perth’s 1-0 win over Adelaide, while Michael McGlinchey’s Central Coast Mariners went down 1-0 to reigning champions Brisbane and Jeremy Brockie came off the bench for the Newcastle Jets in a 3-2 win over Melbourne Heart.
In W-League news, Anna Green has joined Football Ferns team mate Abby Erceg at Adelaide United. Their opening game on October 22 is against Canberra who could potentially feature fellow Football Ferns international Aroon Clansey.
Elsewhere in the Asian Confederation, Michael Fitzgerald’s Zweigen Kanazawa were knocked out of Japan’s Emperor Cup by J-League outfit Sanfrecce Hiroshima and will now concentrate on league football and winning promotion to the J-League’s second division. Fitzgerald, on-loan from Alberix Niigata, played the whole match.
Europe
While most men’s leagues in Europe had the weekend off, Kosta Barbarouses saw some more minutes off the bench for Alaniya Vladikavkaz in the Russian first division. Alaniya dropped crucial points in a 1-1 draw with bottom-placed Fakel Voronezh and now sit five points behind leaders Mordovia Saransk, albeit with a game in hand.
There was no rest for Blackburn Rovers who headed to India for exhibition matches. All Whites skipper Ryan Nelsen travelled with the team to the subcontinent and is reportedly nearing full fitness but rested for a 3-0 win over Pune.
Germany’s Frauen Bundesliga was still in full flight and a fully-fit Football Ferns skipper Rebecca Smith made a welcome return to Wolfsburg’s starting line-up as her side notched a 5-1 win over Lokomotive Leipzig to move into fourth place.
Ria Percival’s FFC Frankfurt stayed joint top of the league with a 5-0 thumping of Bayer Leverkusen. Percival played the final 21 minutes and while Frankfurt also progressed in the Champions League midweek against Norwegian opposition, the Football Fern was unused in that match.
Amber Hearn’s USV Jena struck an in-form Turbine Postdam and suffered a 7-0 defeat to the joint leaders while Katie Hoyle and Sarah Gregorius both played as Bad Neuenahr lost 1-0 at home to Bayen Munich to remain bottom of the league.
In Finland, Emma Kete’s PK-35 put the disappointment of their midweek Champions League exit behind them with a 3-1 win over Ilves to maintain a one-point lead at top of the Naistenliiga.
North America
In American collegiate football, two Ferns clashed when UC Berkley and UCLA met in California. The teams played out a goalless draw with Betsy Hassett starting for Berkely and Rosie White coming on in extra time for UCLA.
In Major League Soccer, Simon Elliott and Andy Boyens both started last Monday’s 1-1 draw with Eastern Conference leaders Philadelphia Union, Dan Keat was an unused substitute in LA Galaxy’s 2-0 defeat to New York on Wednesday and Michael Boxall was also left on the bench in Vancouver’s 3-0 win over Real Salt Lake on Friday.
Story courtesy of New Zealand Football.
For more on New Zealand football go to www.nzfootball.co.nz

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